Juvenile Flicker (He Came Back!)

chickadeemelrose

16 years ago

The young yellow crested Northern Flicker visited our garden again yesterday and this time I had the camera ready!

He was so cute - curious, looking around from the top of our crabapple tree, and at the feeder with the other birds.

Enjoy the attached -

Image link:

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Comments (6)

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
16 years ago
Very nice! He looks like he's posing, saying "this is my best profile".

Claire
rachel_frome_ky
16 years ago
That's a juvenile European Starling. These birds are intelligent, wonderful mimics, and make great pets, but since their release in the US they have taken over, to the detriment of many native US species.

http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/EuropeanStarlings.asp

http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/estarling.htm
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I love your photos Claire, they're great. Thanks for posting them, it's always great to see people's pictures. And neat idea to put the suet right up in the tree like that. And...while I was talking on the phone today, I looked out the kitchen window and there was (I thought) the flicker again. I was so excited that he'd hung around - but when I got a better look, the bird was smaller with no red "V" on the neck, and the coloring different somehow. Turned out it was a juvenile flicker! He/She (they don't get the red mark until they are fully matured I found out) ate some suet from the feeder, hung out in the crabapple tree, then took off. I read that these birds can be migratory. Does anyone know whether flickers seen around here (eastern Massachusetts, 7 miles from the coast) would be migratory? I'm almost wondering if that's why I'm seeing them now when I don't, usually. Just wondering -
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More than a month has passed since I updated this thread so here goes.... I had mentioned that I planned to write that letter to the other mother, but at this point I still have not done it. First, I want to make absolute certain that DD is still having contact with her, but have not been able to substantiate it as of yet. Of course I -know- their friendship remains intact, just no proof. It's not as often as it had... no where nearing being as often since she now has returned to seeing her other friends. DD attends a community college, going to the Gateway to College Program. This is a satellite campus with stores surrounding it. Her hours are 8AM to noon, and I take her and pick her up. One day last week she called and told me she had a ride home with another student. I told her fine, but still went to the campus anyway. After waiting awhile, I finally called her cellphone and she said she was on her way home... class had gotten out early. So, the next day I got the same call.. she was riding home with another student so I made sure I got there early. Saw DDas she was coming out the door and she stated that she was waiting for the other student to finish up. I pulled off, circled around and came back. Just 8 parking spaces from the campus door sat the other mother. This is what I had been expecting. So, I got out of my car, asked her where DD was, she asked me how the "f" was she suppposed to know. Well, I was livid and got in my car and pulled off, my phone ringing. Of course it was DD, mad because she saw me go to the other mother's car. And I can not prove that the other mother was there to pick up DD. Anyway, DD ended up riding home with me. Hasn't called to tell me she was riding with another student. If I get one of those calls, I'll be checking up. It's not time to back down yet. Other than that, things are going fair. She comes home on time, goes to school daily, makes all her counseling sessions. But, I never know where she is when she's gone during the day. I have not been successful in getting her to check in with me. This is something she will answer to her PO for.
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chickadeemelrose
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Rachel. Oh well...I saw an adult flicker (and it absolutely was one - I double-checked) the previous day but didn't have my camera (as I posted), so when I saw this little guy the next day I guess I was overtaken by excitement and with the spots and head outline assumed it was a juvenile of the same species (and I DID have my camera). I didn't check the facts. Won't be my last mistaken ID I'm sure! :) Sorry everyone!
rachel_frome_ky
16 years ago
Everyone has to start somewhere..and people make mistakes identifying species at every level of birding!
Besides, those Starlings can mimic anything..even passing cars.

I had my own dilemma yesterday-couldn't decide what plover I'd photographed..kept hoping it was a rare Wilson's Plover, but finally decided it was just a Semipalmated. It's beak and legs were covered with mud, but seems to be a bit of red on the base of the beak.

9-6-09, Minor Clark Fish Hatchery, juvenile Semipalmated Plover using "vibrating foot" to find food
From Black Terns

I posted the pic on Twitter yesterday asking for an ID confirmation, but got nothing so far, so consulted the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America, which uses actual photographs instead of paintings.

I always feel embarrassed when someone does point out the true ID of something because it suddenly becomes so obvious that I can't believe I missed it..like those pesky molting Black Terns a couple of weeks ago-had to post the photo on Twitter to find out what they were
From Black Terns
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
16 years ago
My favorite "Oops/blush" moment came last year when I saw a gray bird with marked black bars on it perched in my winterberry. I couldn't figure out what it was, so I emailed the photo to ebird.

I got a friendly response saying it was a Gray Catbird. The bars were shadows from branches out of view. Lots of catbirds around, but I didn't think of it.

Claire
chickadeemelrose
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the moral support!

I am watching for migrating birds in the hopes of having a fantastic (verified) sighting to report!

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Juvenile Flicker (He Came Back!)

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claireplymouth z6b coastal MA

rachel_frome_ky

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Juvenile Flicker (He Came Back!)

Comments (6)

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA

rachel_frome_ky

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claireplymouth z6b coastal MA

chickadeemelroseOriginal Author

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CONNECT WITH US

chickadeemelrose
Original Author

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